after quitting oxycontin a few months ago i have relapsed a couple times but not to the extent of my original addiction. im again in withdrawals but very mild in comparison to the past, just some general discomfort and increased anxiety. I have been reading online since Imodium contains an opiate (which does not cross the blood brain barrier) will this help ease my withdrawal symptoms? if any one has any info on this please respond thanx.

I used Immodium when I was coming off of Oxy's and I couldn't tell if it was helping the w/d's or not other than I wasn't tied to the toilet 24/7, LOL!! I honestly didn't know that Immodium even had an opiate in it.

I used Immodium when I was coming off of Oxy's and I couldn't tell if it was helping the w/d's or not other than I wasn't tied to the toilet 24/7, LOL!! I honestly didn't know that Immodium even had an opiate in it.

I Narcotic withdrawal - a junkies guide for survival
You are waking from the warm fuzzy dream.. you're supply is depleted, your 'guy' is out of town, and it's a good 4 weeks before you can refill your script.. you're going to suffer from NARCOTIC WITHDRAWAL - So what can ya do about it?
Drag yourself to your local pharmacy with this for a shopping list -
1) Imodium AD - and get the SYRUP - you can also get the pills or gel-caps as they will come in handy later.. you can get the generic **** too, just make sure that the ONLY active drug is loperamide hcl .. get a big bottle, hell, get 3 or 4 .. and no, it doesn't have a "pleasant cherry taste" .. this brings us to the next item -
2) Fruit juice - carbonated beverages won't do ya a lot of good... I have done this many times, and I find some apple juice to be the drink of choice ..
3) Aleve (or generic - you want naproxen sodium) .. this will help with the muscle aches and pains ..
4) Sominex (or generic - you want diphenhydramine).. this is an OTC sleep aide that *WILL* knock you out! Now if you have benzos or some other type of tranqualizer, thats better as they have other properties that we desire - but still, pick some of this up because without it you will just toss and turn all night...
5) Soup - whatever you like, it taste the same comming up ..
Some people recomend DXM, but I don't think it does much good when one is going through withdrawal - it *CAN* help reduce ones tollerence to opiates/opioids - pick up a bottle, remember, you want DXM ONLY .. you can try this, but I found it never really did anything but make my feel 'trippy' in higher doses (NOT pleasureable when you're kicking) ..
Ok, first off, there is no magic cure for withdrawal that DOESN'T involve some type of narcotic - thats what withdrawal is - the condition resulting from the absence of opiate/opioids in your system... in other words, don't think you can go on a 3 month heroin binge and walk away like nothing happened - BUT - I have been through this many, many, many times before - and I can help you reduce the pain and suffering to *ALMOST* nothing ..
Now, how bad will it be? Well, that depends on a few things:
*) HOW MUCH were you taking? Someone who mainlines a gram of heroin every 16 hours is going to have it a LOT worse then someone who pops a few Lortab every day..
*) HOW OFTEN were you taking the drugs? Again, if you made opiated bliss a full-time job, then you're going to have it a little harder then the occasional pill poper..
*) WHAT were you taking? If you liked to take codeine every day, you will probably suffer a little less then someone whos drug of choice was black tar..
I will assume that our subject falls in the moderate to heavy use catagory - could be considered an 'addict', or 'independent self-medicator'..
Withdrawal can set in within hours, depending on the frequency of your opiate/opioid intake - an IV heroin user who would fix every 4 hours is going to feel the kick comming a lot sooner then someone who eats Vicodin after work each night ..
I wont get into the psychological aspects of narcotic withdrawal, as thats a book in itself...
IMODIUM AD - OTC METHADONE!
I can't say enough about Loperamide - this **** is truely amazing.. it is really like OTC methadone .. so I think I will say a little about it;
Back in the day, Jansen (pharmacuticals) was trying to tweak out the fentanyl molecule - loperamide and fentanyl have a lot in common in terms of their structure.. anyway, they came up with loperamide in hopes it would be some incredible opioid - sadly it wasn't... so it was placed in federall schedule V - then, for some unknown reason, it was knocked out of C-V and made an OTC drug - you know it as Imodium AD .. there were some studies done on morphine dependent monkeys, and loperamide halted the withdrawal with as much success as methadone - so hey, don't write it off as a "junkie trick"...
How to use it? Well, ideally you want to take it prior to the onset of physical withdrawal - hence the reason for the liquid - it is rapidly absorbed into yer system .. for a dose I recomend about 4mg-6mg - yes, more then recomended by the FDA .. this can almost totally halt with physical aspects of withdrawal - it does little for the mental cravings though .. you can 'maintain' yourself with the pills/gel's but the syrup is FAR better - still, I find it's easier to pop a few pills at work then to bust out with the economy size bottle of an anti-diarrhea medicine..
For a moderate user, loperamide will just about kill *all* the physical symptoms - but for the heavy user, or for a good portion of the moderate users, there is that one physical effect that persists - muscle aches .. enters the Aleve (naproxen) .. take 500mg every few hours ..
Ok, so you are now narcotic free, and maintained fairly well with the Imodium and Aleve - is it that easy? No, not really.. while the above can help, you will still suffer from SOME physicl effects - I will list them.. some, all, or none may apply to you:
1) Cold sweats
2) Nausea
3) Diarrhea
4) Vomiting
5) Muscle pain
6) Insomnia
7) Depression (I wont get into it)
The severity of the effects depends on how much of what you take and how often you did so..
How long does it last? Overall, the worst is over after about 3-5 days, and from there it's just a matter of dealing with some minor annoyances .. the first few days are the worst, and I don't advise doing any more then you have to - lay in bed, keep a trash can nearby, and have a good stock of toliet paper .. food is a good thing, but you might not be able to keep it down - but THIS IS IMPORTANT - diarrhea and vomitting cause you to lose a LOT of water, so you WILL dehydrate - hence, you MUST maintain a good intake of fluids... thirsty or not, drink a cup of something every hour or so ..
Sominex will help you sleep, and benzos are wonderfull!
Everything else is a matter of personal opinion - do what feels good.. some people find sex is a good way to make a bad situation good, I personally don't want to do anything sexual when I am going through withdrawal.. I like to be as clean as possible - it really makes me feel good to take a few hot showers a day, but others can't take the water - YMMV, find out what works and go with it!
Thats most of the general advice I have...
Prevention is really the best way to go - TAPER YOUR DOSE when you're running low (yeah right) .. a nice alternative is to keep some narcotics on hand that wont really **** you up, but will keep the withdrawal under control - ie codeine - it wont make you warm and fuzzy, but it may enable you to avoid missing a few days of work/school ..

I Narcotic withdrawal - a junkies guide for survival
You are waking from the warm fuzzy dream.. you're supply is depleted, your 'guy' is out of town, and it's a good 4 weeks before you can refill your script.. you're going to suffer from NARCOTIC WITHDRAWAL - So what can ya do about it?
Drag yourself to your local pharmacy with this for a shopping list -
1) Imodium AD - and get the SYRUP - you can also get the pills or gel-caps as they will come in handy later.. you can get the generic **** too, just make sure that the ONLY active drug is loperamide hcl .. get a big bottle, hell, get 3 or 4 .. and no, it doesn't have a "pleasant cherry taste" .. this brings us to the next item -
2) Fruit juice - carbonated beverages won't do ya a lot of good... I have done this many times, and I find some apple juice to be the drink of choice ..
3) Aleve (or generic - you want naproxen sodium) .. this will help with the muscle aches and pains ..
4) Sominex (or generic - you want diphenhydramine).. this is an OTC sleep aide that *WILL* knock you out! Now if you have benzos or some other type of tranqualizer, thats better as they have other properties that we desire - but still, pick some of this up because without it you will just toss and turn all night...
5) Soup - whatever you like, it taste the same comming up ..
Some people recomend DXM, but I don't think it does much good when one is going through withdrawal - it *CAN* help reduce ones tollerence to opiates/opioids - pick up a bottle, remember, you want DXM ONLY .. you can try this, but I found it never really did anything but make my feel 'trippy' in higher doses (NOT pleasureable when you're kicking) ..
Ok, first off, there is no magic cure for withdrawal that DOESN'T involve some type of narcotic - thats what withdrawal is - the condition resulting from the absence of opiate/opioids in your system... in other words, don't think you can go on a 3 month heroin binge and walk away like nothing happened - BUT - I have been through this many, many, many times before - and I can help you reduce the pain and suffering to *ALMOST* nothing ..
Now, how bad will it be? Well, that depends on a few things:
*) HOW MUCH were you taking? Someone who mainlines a gram of heroin every 16 hours is going to have it a LOT worse then someone who pops a few Lortab every day..
*) HOW OFTEN were you taking the drugs? Again, if you made opiated bliss a full-time job, then you're going to have it a little harder then the occasional pill poper..
*) WHAT were you taking? If you liked to take codeine every day, you will probably suffer a little less then someone whos drug of choice was black tar..
I will assume that our subject falls in the moderate to heavy use catagory - could be considered an 'addict', or 'independent self-medicator'..
Withdrawal can set in within hours, depending on the frequency of your opiate/opioid intake - an IV heroin user who would fix every 4 hours is going to feel the kick comming a lot sooner then someone who eats Vicodin after work each night ..
I wont get into the psychological aspects of narcotic withdrawal, as thats a book in itself...
IMODIUM AD - OTC METHADONE!
I can't say enough about Loperamide - this **** is truely amazing.. it is really like OTC methadone .. so I think I will say a little about it;
Back in the day, Jansen (pharmacuticals) was trying to tweak out the fentanyl molecule - loperamide and fentanyl have a lot in common in terms of their structure.. anyway, they came up with loperamide in hopes it would be some incredible opioid - sadly it wasn't... so it was placed in federall schedule V - then, for some unknown reason, it was knocked out of C-V and made an OTC drug - you know it as Imodium AD .. there were some studies done on morphine dependent monkeys, and loperamide halted the withdrawal with as much success as methadone - so hey, don't write it off as a "junkie trick"...
How to use it? Well, ideally you want to take it prior to the onset of physical withdrawal - hence the reason for the liquid - it is rapidly absorbed into yer system .. for a dose I recomend about 4mg-6mg - yes, more then recomended by the FDA .. this can almost totally halt with physical aspects of withdrawal - it does little for the mental cravings though .. you can 'maintain' yourself with the pills/gel's but the syrup is FAR better - still, I find it's easier to pop a few pills at work then to bust out with the economy size bottle of an anti-diarrhea medicine..
For a moderate user, loperamide will just about kill *all* the physical symptoms - but for the heavy user, or for a good portion of the moderate users, there is that one physical effect that persists - muscle aches .. enters the Aleve (naproxen) .. take 500mg every few hours ..
Ok, so you are now narcotic free, and maintained fairly well with the Imodium and Aleve - is it that easy? No, not really.. while the above can help, you will still suffer from SOME physicl effects - I will list them.. some, all, or none may apply to you:
1) Cold sweats
2) Nausea
3) Diarrhea
4) Vomiting
5) Muscle pain
6) Insomnia
7) Depression (I wont get into it)
The severity of the effects depends on how much of what you take and how often you did so..
How long does it last? Overall, the worst is over after about 3-5 days, and from there it's just a matter of dealing with some minor annoyances .. the first few days are the worst, and I don't advise doing any more then you have to - lay in bed, keep a trash can nearby, and have a good stock of toliet paper .. food is a good thing, but you might not be able to keep it down - but THIS IS IMPORTANT - diarrhea and vomitting cause you to lose a LOT of water, so you WILL dehydrate - hence, you MUST maintain a good intake of fluids... thirsty or not, drink a cup of something every hour or so ..
Sominex will help you sleep, and benzos are wonderfull!
Everything else is a matter of personal opinion - do what feels good.. some people find sex is a good way to make a bad situation good, I personally don't want to do anything sexual when I am going through withdrawal.. I like to be as clean as possible - it really makes me feel good to take a few hot showers a day, but others can't take the water - YMMV, find out what works and go with it!
Thats most of the general advice I have...
Prevention is really the best way to go - TAPER YOUR DOSE when you're running low (yeah right) .. a nice alternative is to keep some narcotics on hand that wont really **** you up, but will keep the withdrawal under control - ie codeine - it wont make you warm and fuzzy, but it may enable you to avoid missing a few days of work/school ..

I am in day 2 of detoxing, i feel like i am dying. I was a heavy user of oxy amd morphine, several hundreds of milligrams a day for 6 yrs. I am in the bathroom about every 20 mins, i can barely lift my legs to walk to the bathroom, thanks for tips, i will try it.

I am in day 2 of detoxing, i feel like i am dying. I was a heavy user of oxy amd morphine, several hundreds of milligrams a day for 6 yrs. I am in the bathroom about every 20 mins, i can barely lift my legs to walk to the bathroom, thanks for tips, i will try it.

Hi there, and welcome! If we may help you with anything at all, just post a question--you'll get more attention than piggybacking on an old post like this one where forum members won't notice you as easily. I want everyone to see you so they can welcome you. Just push the gold-colored box at the top right of the page and tell us what's happening and how we can help you. I am glad you are here and will be looking for your posts.--Margaret

Hi there, and welcome! If we may help you with anything at all, just post a question--you'll get more attention than piggybacking on an old post like this one where forum members won't notice you as easily. I want everyone to see you so they can welcome you. Just push the gold-colored box at the top right of the page and tell us what's happening and how we can help you. I am glad you are here and will be looking for your posts.--Margaret

I need to know about the depression part of it, as that is what I'm going through and I feel awful. Crying every half hour and a constant knot in my throat. I just feel it in the pit of my stomach. I'm taking Klonopin but it isn't helping me. I feel so sad all the time. Do you have any suggestions?

I need to know about the depression part of it, as that is what I'm going through and I feel awful. Crying every half hour and a constant knot in my throat. I just feel it in the pit of my stomach. I'm taking Klonopin but it isn't helping me. I feel so sad all the time. Do you have any suggestions?

You have to remember how opiates work, and why you feel depressed etc. when you quit taking them and after you are over the withdrawals and often why we keep craving long after the physical withdrawals are over.

Opiates bound to the opioid receptors in your brain and body. They release their artificial endorphins to them, and block the bodies natural endorphins. After a while the neurons that produce the body's natural endorphins disappear. There is no need for them so they just don't rejuvenate like they would normally.

When you stop taking the opiates, they leave your opioid receptors bare, and they are calling out for your body's natural endorphins, but there isn't any there at first. You body has to repopulate the neurons that make them, and this takes time.

You will slowly get your "old self" back as these neurons repopulate and begin increasing their endorphins production. After being off the opiates for a month, they should be about 45-50% of normal, and be back to normal within a year.
So hang in there, you will feel better and better as the months roll by.

Try keep busy and keep your mind focused on positive things instead of dwelling on the depression, anxiety, etc. that are only temporary and will disappear as your endorphins return to normal.

You have to remember how opiates work, and why you feel depressed etc. when you quit taking them and after you are over the withdrawals and often why we keep craving long after the physical withdrawals are over.

Opiates bound to the opioid receptors in your brain and body. They release their artificial endorphins to them, and block the bodies natural endorphins. After a while the neurons that produce the body's natural endorphins disappear. There is no need for them so they just don't rejuvenate like they would normally.

When you stop taking the opiates, they leave your opioid receptors bare, and they are calling out for your body's natural endorphins, but there isn't any there at first. You body has to repopulate the neurons that make them, and this takes time.

You will slowly get your "old self" back as these neurons repopulate and begin increasing their endorphins production. After being off the opiates for a month, they should be about 45-50% of normal, and be back to normal within a year.
So hang in there, you will feel better and better as the months roll by.

Try keep busy and keep your mind focused on positive things instead of dwelling on the depression, anxiety, etc. that are only temporary and will disappear as your endorphins return to normal.

For me ,yes they do help.I took 180 mg once aday,and i swear they do help.Imodium is a derivative of opium,they will be your best friend.BUT they are as addictive as opium for me anyway.Hope that helps,be careful for my wife still takes them 6 months after wd. danny

For me ,yes they do help.I took 180 mg once aday,and i swear they do help.Imodium is a derivative of opium,they will be your best friend.BUT they are as addictive as opium for me anyway.Hope that helps,be careful for my wife still takes them 6 months after wd. danny

im trying to wd off heroin. i used to be a big heroin addict from 2004-2007 then i got on stupid suboxone and have been on those ever since, (basically the past 6 yrs. ive attempted to detox off them several times and i get to about day 8-10 and cave. ive been told that suboxone withdrawal isnt as painful as heroin (which it isnt, esp when your only taking 2mg a day) but the withdrawal duration is sooo much longer, heroin physical withdrawals last about 6 days til u can feel your body start to get better. when suboxone physical withdrawals last a few weeks until you start to feel better. so i have relapsed on heroin this past month for that reason, because id rather go through about 6 days of withdrawal rather than a few weeks of it. its hard though. withdrawals are sooo hard. i have xanax, imodium, and these vitamins called withdrawal ease. im just starting on day 2. does anybody have any advice? does imodium really stop the main symptoms of withdrawal. ive only taken 3 pills yet and i still feel aweful. if i take 10 pills like most ppl who post say to do, will it really work?? i hope somebody reads this and responds.

im trying to wd off heroin. i used to be a big heroin addict from 2004-2007 then i got on stupid suboxone and have been on those ever since, (basically the past 6 yrs. ive attempted to detox off them several times and i get to about day 8-10 and cave. ive been told that suboxone withdrawal isnt as painful as heroin (which it isnt, esp when your only taking 2mg a day) but the withdrawal duration is sooo much longer, heroin physical withdrawals last about 6 days til u can feel your body start to get better. when suboxone physical withdrawals last a few weeks until you start to feel better. so i have relapsed on heroin this past month for that reason, because id rather go through about 6 days of withdrawal rather than a few weeks of it. its hard though. withdrawals are sooo hard. i have xanax, imodium, and these vitamins called withdrawal ease. im just starting on day 2. does anybody have any advice? does imodium really stop the main symptoms of withdrawal. ive only taken 3 pills yet and i still feel aweful. if i take 10 pills like most ppl who post say to do, will it really work?? i hope somebody reads this and responds.

im trying to wd off heroin. i used to be a big heroin addict from 2004-2007 then i got on stupid suboxone and have been on those ever since, (basically the past 6 yrs. ive attempted to detox off them several times and i get to about day 8-10 and cave. ive been told that suboxone withdrawal isnt as painful as heroin (which it isnt, esp when your only taking 2mg a day) but the withdrawal duration is sooo much longer, heroin physical withdrawals last about 6 days til u can feel your body start to get better. when suboxone physical withdrawals last a few weeks until you start to feel better. so i have relapsed on heroin this past month for that reason, because id rather go through about 6 days of withdrawal rather than a few weeks of it. its hard though. withdrawals are sooo hard. i have xanax, imodium, and these vitamins called withdrawal ease. im just starting on day 2. does anybody have any advice? does imodium really stop the main symptoms of withdrawal. ive only taken 3 pills yet and i still feel aweful. if i take 10 pills like most ppl who post say to do, will it really work?? i hope somebody reads this and responds.

im trying to wd off heroin. i used to be a big heroin addict from 2004-2007 then i got on stupid suboxone and have been on those ever since, (basically the past 6 yrs. ive attempted to detox off them several times and i get to about day 8-10 and cave. ive been told that suboxone withdrawal isnt as painful as heroin (which it isnt, esp when your only taking 2mg a day) but the withdrawal duration is sooo much longer, heroin physical withdrawals last about 6 days til u can feel your body start to get better. when suboxone physical withdrawals last a few weeks until you start to feel better. so i have relapsed on heroin this past month for that reason, because id rather go through about 6 days of withdrawal rather than a few weeks of it. its hard though. withdrawals are sooo hard. i have xanax, imodium, and these vitamins called withdrawal ease. im just starting on day 2. does anybody have any advice? does imodium really stop the main symptoms of withdrawal. ive only taken 3 pills yet and i still feel aweful. if i take 10 pills like most ppl who post say to do, will it really work?? i hope somebody reads this and responds.

Hi and welcome! This is a really old thread, so you may get more responses if you go to the main page, hit post a question, and create your own thread. I took Immodium during wds and it helped with the diarrhea aspect. You may have to take more than the regular dose if you have severe diarrhea. It's better than getting dehydrated. It didn't help me with anything other than the bathroom issues. Please don't take ridiculous amounts. It could cause a bowel obstruction and that is a very serious thing. Check out the health pages link at the bottom of the page. Look for the Thomas Recipe. It's full of good vitamins and supplements to help with wds. There really is no magic cure though. You just have to go through it. This site can be a great tool for support as well as info. Post a new thread and you will get lots of good suggestions. Good luck to you!

Hi and welcome! This is a really old thread, so you may get more responses if you go to the main page, hit post a question, and create your own thread. I took Immodium during wds and it helped with the diarrhea aspect. You may have to take more than the regular dose if you have severe diarrhea. It's better than getting dehydrated. It didn't help me with anything other than the bathroom issues. Please don't take ridiculous amounts. It could cause a bowel obstruction and that is a very serious thing. Check out the health pages link at the bottom of the page. Look for the Thomas Recipe. It's full of good vitamins and supplements to help with wds. There really is no magic cure though. You just have to go through it. This site can be a great tool for support as well as info. Post a new thread and you will get lots of good suggestions. Good luck to you!

I'm laying in a hospital bed I am on my third day clean but I go home tomorrow and I'm worried because all I can think about is using because of my withdrawal symptoms the hospital does the best they can but they can't fix your brain I know what I need to do I've been an addict for about 10 years now I've got on and off of opiates three or four times now but I've been using heroin heavy heavy for the last six years I don't know what to do I don't even know why am writing this. But I did find your post very very helpful because I've been arguing with the doctor about giving me Imodium he didn't want to give it to me because he said it was a narcotic then he just came back in my room and said after thinking about it he's already giving me subutex which is a narcotic so now I'm able to have Imodium for my stomach but now I don't want to take it if I'm going to become addicted to it

I'm laying in a hospital bed I am on my third day clean but I go home tomorrow and I'm worried because all I can think about is using because of my withdrawal symptoms the hospital does the best they can but they can't fix your brain I know what I need to do I've been an addict for about 10 years now I've got on and off of opiates three or four times now but I've been using heroin heavy heavy for the last six years I don't know what to do I don't even know why am writing this. But I did find your post very very helpful because I've been arguing with the doctor about giving me Imodium he didn't want to give it to me because he said it was a narcotic then he just came back in my room and said after thinking about it he's already giving me subutex which is a narcotic so now I'm able to have Imodium for my stomach but now I don't want to take it if I'm going to become addicted to it

after quitting oxycontin a few months ago i have relapsed a couple times but not to the extent of my original addiction. im again in withdrawals but very mild in comparison to the past, just some general discomfort and increased anxiety. I have been reading online since Imodium contains an opiate (which does not cross the blood brain barrier) will this help ease my withdrawal symptoms? if any one has any info on this please respond thanx.

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